By James Standley

McGrath has struggled with his action since returning from injury

He has been at the top of the world game for 10 years, but at the age of 34 and having had two operations in the past year Glenn McGrath's career may be coming to a close.

The veteran paceman faces a make or break series when Australia host Sri Lanka next month.

For the first time in 10 years McGrath is by no means certain to open the bowling and he has admitted he is preparing to re-invent himself as a first-change bowler.

McGrath insists he would rather carry on with the new ball, but his admission that he would consider a change of role suggests he knows his time is limited.

This week ex-Australia paceman Geoff Lawson said injury had caught up with McGrath and that he was no longer the bowler he had been.

The New South Wales metronome is sixth on the all-time Test wickets list with 430 victims but in the recent tour of Zimbabwe he looked far from his penetrative best.

In 37 overs in Africa he returned a distinctly average 2-110 and Lawson suggested that injuries had finally blunted McGrath's attacking edge.

"Technically, he's still making some errors that we don't normally see from him," said Lawson.

McGRATH'S BOWLING STATS Tests: 95 Wickets: 430 Bowling av: 21.71 Balls: 22374 Strike rate: 52.03

"He's been taking a big step in, in his delivery. When he runs straight through he's much better."

Lawson said the flaw was reducing both McGrath's pace and accuracy.

"I haven't seen him bowl so many wide balls and short balls for a long time," said Lawson. "It's just not there.

"He's getting poor figures against people who can't play that well, and that has to be a worry.

"McGrath's a very hard trainer but when you get to that age, injuries are so much harder to come back from."

Thirty four is a venerable age for a quick bowler, and although Courtney Walsh managed to keep going until he was 39 the great West Indies paceman was a one-off.

McGrath had been injury free for many years but his ankles, after pounding down for over 32,000 deliveries, now clearly have a weakness.

He has suggested he could emulate former South African speedster Allan Donald and re-model himself as a first-change bowler.

McGrath has terrorised opposition batsmen for over 10 years

"I think Allan Donald did it through the latter part of his career - came on first change, really tied it up, put the pressure on and took wickets," said McGrath.

However, unlike Donald, the Australian has never had express pace and has always relied on relentless accuracy, steepling bounce and sideways movement to get his wickets.

He has less scope to cut his pace and learn new tricks, and if Lawson is right and he has developed a technical flaw due to his injury, even his relentless accuracy may have gone for ever.

There are increasing doubts in Australia that he will be around to face England in the Ashes next year, but no-one will be writing him off just yet.

McGrath's drive is just as relentless as his accuracy and he has no desire to bow out yet.

Despite his indifferent display in Zimbabwe McGrath insisted that he felt he was getting his rhythm back at the end of the shortened tour.

If he can get back to full fitness there can be little doubt that McGrath will continue to pose a threat to the best batsmen in the world.

But the veteran is struggling to regain his former zip and the knives are undoubtedly being sharpened.